Following last week’s overall RAJAR summary for the second quarter of 2013, here’s a further breakdown focusing on regional performance across Global Radio.
The Capital network broke through its enduring high of 7 million listeners, reaching in excess of 7.3 million this quarter. Listening hours were up on the previous three quarters, but the same period in 2012 was 2% higher than 2013. Capital Listeners in London, Yorkshire and on the south coast increased in both hours and reach, both year on year and quarterly. South Wales and Birmingham audiences were both elevated in reach and 6hours since Q1 2013, however, total hours were down 2% year on year for Wales and 12% in Birmingham. The Midlands, North East and Manchester suffered a loss in all areas, except Manchester’s 5% quarterly increase in reach. Scottish reach and hours were all up quarterly, and reach increased marginally by 1% year on year while hours fell by 13%.
Global’s other frontrunner, Heart, dominated London in terms of hours listened, still managing increases in reach and hours both year on year and quarterly. The Midlands and Thames valley also improved over all facets, while the South West and Cambridgeshire were only down quarterly for hours listened. East Anglia continued to progress, except for a 1% overall decline in audience figures, while Essex only increased in year on year hours and Sussex was only ahead in terms of year on year reach. The North West, Wales and Four Counties all suffered a loss or no change in reach and hours.
Continuing to gain reach both quarterly and year on year, XFM experienced an increase in hours listened and reach across Manchester, while its London station was up for year on year figures but down since Q1 2013.
Current affairs station London’s Biggest Conversation was a great success, with both quarterly and year on year improvements of between 2% and 10% in both listener figures and hours listened. London-based urban station Choice FM was also up on figures all round, with a high of +19% for its year on year hours listened, rising from 3457 to 4101. Largely available on AM, Gold is still ahead of the game quarterly, but is lagging behind 2012 figures.
Global’s recently acquired Real and Smooth Network had mixed results, with Smooth Radio escalating both quarterly and year on year in terms of reach, while its listening hours were down since Q1 2013 but up year on year by 7% to 27393. Real Radio performed better than Q1 2013, but hours and reach were both down year on year by as much as 11%.